CyberSins
by The DeathBunnie
Summary: In another world, another dimension, Zelgadis is a master hunter, tracking down computer hackers. The master may have met his match. [YAOI-ness] Rated {R} for language and YAOI-ness. **From 37 readers up to 60. I feel better now. :) ***
1. Chapter 1 The Catch

CyberSin  
  
by The DeathBunnie  
  
  
  
Shinigami Bob dared to challenge; I dare to answer.  
  
Dun dun DUN!!  
  
Well, folks, here I am new and already responding to challenges with  
  
inane banter and moronic fics. Anyway, this is in response to  
  
Shinigami Bob's challenge for a cyber-style thing. If anyone can  
  
tell me where I got this from, I'd be happy to know. It just came  
  
out, but it seems like I'm stealing it from something. To me, it  
  
reads like "Hackers" meets "Ghost in the Shell" meets "Johnny  
  
Nuemonic" (or however the hell it's spelled) with a little bit of  
  
"Lain" thrown in for good measure. I dunno. Watch it go poof and  
  
die.  
  
  
  
*_*  
  
  
  
Stuff to know; Of course, this is AU. Duh. I suppose that's a  
  
warning in itself, though. "AU? AGGGHH!" Also, the people are a  
  
bit OOC, as would testify to the AU, but I tried to keep them as  
  
close to the originals as possible. Maybe some mild language, and,  
  
of course, a complete and total lack of making any kind of sense.  
  
Er, as an additive, I'd like to make it known that I don't hate  
  
Amelia. She just annoys the hell out of me. Hm. Did you ever  
  
notice how, in a FanFic, when the author says something like that in  
  
the beginning, it usually means utter hell for the poor girl?  
  
Amelia: Nooooo!  
  
Author: What the hell? What are you doing here?  
  
Amelia: I'm here to protest this potential unjust treatment against  
  
me.  
  
Author: Oh, hell no, I'm not doing one of those things where all the  
  
characters come and talk to the author just like in all of the other  
  
FanFic, no way, no how.  
  
Xelloss: You already are, Bunnie-San.  
  
Author: DAMMIT!  
  
^.^  
  
  
  
"Shit, fuck and damn!" {(Author's note; scratch the 'mild' in 'mild  
  
language' warning. Heh.)} Zel's hand slammed down on the keyboard  
  
sending plastic bits flying. He seemed sated for the moment, then  
  
with an infuriated growl he snatched the plug from the socket and  
  
smashed the keyboard against the floor.  
  
"Do you really think it deserved that?" a female voice intoned from  
  
behind him. He ripped off the input glasses from his face and spun  
  
around to face Lina as she leaned against the doorjamb. She had that  
  
coy, know-it-all smirk on her face. "After all, it was only a lump  
  
of plastic; it's not like you can blame it for your complete lack of  
  
skills. Only you can prove what a talent less, third-rate, sad, good  
  
for nothing, utterly -"  
  
"Right, I get the point," he bitterly retorted, sending a glare her  
  
way. Leaning back in the chair, he idly kicked off the foot stops  
  
and hit the switch, lowering the throne-like metal monstrosity down  
  
to floor level once more. Hopping out a few feet before it stopped,  
  
he unplugged the VR gloves and sighed, tucking the glasses away on  
  
top of his head after unplugging them as well. "I was so close. I  
  
could have practically touched him! And he STILL got away with the  
  
files."  
  
Lina sighed and closed her eyes, shuffling the forelocks of her  
  
flaming red dreds with her right hand. "Which ones?"  
  
"Most of the interface module lockout sequences, as well as half of  
  
the Mercurium Project data this time."  
  
Her eyes bugged out. "You're...you shitting me, right? There's no way  
  
he could have gotten all that...he wasn't in the system for more than  
  
three minutes!"  
  
Shaking his head, he pushed past her as he headed out, trying to  
  
disguise the slight wobble in his step from sheer exhaustion.  
  
"Whatever he is, he's not all human. That's all. He's probably got  
  
so many chips implanted he couldn't get within ten feet of a bowl of  
  
dip."  
  
At that, Lina burst out laughing and slapped his shoulder. "I can't  
  
believe it; did you actually just make a joke? You must be more  
  
tired than I thought."  
  
"Machines don't get tired," he commented with a wry grin, and was  
  
rewarded with a bonk upside the stylized metal plate that covered  
  
half his face and matched the rest affixed to most of his body. He  
  
patted her head lightly as he watched her try to rub the pain away  
  
from her now-bruised hand. "We also don't respond well to being  
  
whacked by little girls."  
  
She stuck out her tongue. "You're not a machine and I'm not a little  
  
girl." And with that, she kicked his left kneecap - she knew for a  
  
fact that it wasn't metal - and smirked. "Now get down to the  
  
kitchen and let's get some food!"  
  
The pair headed towards the elevator that lead even further  
  
underground, Lina dragging the still-limping Zelgadis alongside.  
  
*************************  
  
He slumped back in his seat, closing his eyes with a groan. That had  
  
been more than a workout than intended; this guy was good, there was  
  
no doubt about that. The fact actually worried the hacker somewhat;  
  
this guy had practically predicted his every move. There was no  
  
way, but it seemed so true.  
  
Tapping his left temple lightly, the tiny metallic projections that  
  
protruded from just outside the corner of his eyes slid away back  
  
into his skull - no glasses were required for him to swim in the  
  
ultrasonic digital nightmare world. Leaning forward, he continued to  
  
disconnect from the mainframe, pulling plugs out of his wrists,  
  
ankles, then small of his back, and finally the base of his skull.  
  
Stretching languorously, he stood and arched his back with a few slow  
  
pops as he reached over for the black silk robe thrown carelessly on  
  
the floor and slipped it on just as the electronic voice boomed  
  
throughout the room.  
  
"TWENTY-FOUR-FIVE-TWELVE-TWELVE-FIFTEEN-NINETEEN-NINETEEN."  
  
He paused, then nodded, tucking back a lock of purple hair. "I'm  
  
here."  
  
"RECONNECT TO TERMINAL INTERFACE. DATA TRANSFERRENCE REQUIRED FOR  
  
IMMEDIATE PROCESSING OF NET GAINS."  
  
Sighing, the slim figure tied the belt of the robe before tucking his  
  
feet into matching black slippers. "I just disconnected. It can  
  
wait until tomorrow, can't it?"  
  
"DATA TRANSFERENCE REQUIRED FOR IMMEDIATE PROCESSING OF NET GAINS."  
  
Muttering to himself, he finally shook his head. "Tomorrow," he  
  
announced, and his refusal was followed by a sharp scream as a jolt  
  
of digital agony ripped through him. Collapsing to all fours, he  
  
fought for breath as he shakily replied, "R...right. Immediate.  
  
Didn't... didn't quite catch that p-part."  
  
******************************  
  
Down in the galley, Zelgadis sat prodding disinterestedly at his  
  
food. His gaze rose occasionally to the others whom he regarded as  
  
friends.  
  
There was Lina; a promising guardian despite her age. Self-trained,  
  
to boot. She was often a lot of trouble, but then again that's what  
  
made her so magnetic. Everyone grew to like her, sooner or later.  
  
Well, like or fear. She was much fiercer than she looked.  
  
Gourry wasn't a guardian or a hunter; really, he was just hired  
  
help. But it was obvious the attraction he held to the  
  
guardian-in-training, and so they let it be. He was more honest than  
  
any of them, and most took it to be because of stupidity. Zelgadis  
  
knew better, but usually said nothing.  
  
Sitting closest to him was Amelia. She looked so out of place here  
  
with the wide, innocent eyes and the white-tipped black hair that  
  
shadowed her face. She was a guardian in training as well, though it  
  
was well-known she really wanted to be a hunter. Perhaps that was  
  
why she clung so tightly to him. Perhaps.  
  
"So that Jell-o guy got more stuff this time?" Gourry piped in even  
  
as he swatted a roll from Lina's plate.  
  
"His name," she replied, while smacking the back of his head and  
  
grabbing the food back, "is Xelloss. Xelloss. Xel. Loss. Why  
  
can't you get that right? Xelllllloossss."  
  
Shrugging, Gourry snatched the roll back. "Maybe because it's such a  
  
stupid name. Why would anyone name anyone something like that? It's  
  
worse than... than..." He paused in thought.  
  
"Zelgadis?" Lina chimed in helpfully as she prepared to punch him  
  
squarely in the face.  
  
"Yeah, definitely worse than Zelgadis, though not by much," Gourry  
  
nodded, landing promptly on his back with a thud as the fist smashed  
  
home.  
  
Rolling his eyes, Zelgadis finally threw his roll to Lina to pacify  
  
the two. "It's his serial number."  
  
The others looked at him, dumbfounded. Amelia finally spoke up.  
  
"Serial number? For what?"  
  
"For him. Xelloss."  
  
The other exchanged confused glances, and Zelgadis explained, "I told  
  
you, he's not all human. Most of his body is wires, cables, input  
  
ports... there's hardly anything left beneath his skin that's human. He  
  
was manufactured - augmented - and the company that made him gave him  
  
a serial number. When he started out, he was just a number, but now  
  
he's a name; the letters of his name correspond to the numbers in  
  
his serial. I think he thinks he's being creative."  
  
"So... " Lina counted. "So, his serial is twenty-four, five, twelve,  
  
twelve... err...fifteen...nineteen, nineteen? Wow, and I thought Amelia  
  
had a long name." Amelia stuck out her tongue at Lina, who  
  
continued, "How exactly do you know all this, Zel?"  
  
"I've been after him a long time," he remarked, then returned his  
  
gaze to his cup of mocha signifying the end of this line of queries.  
  
Knowing when to let something drop, the others shrugged and went back  
  
to fighting over the food - they still weren't quite sure why they  
  
did it. It just seemed like the thing to do.  
  
******************************  
  
The next night they woke up and went back to work, Lina at her books,  
  
Amelia at hers. Gourry was pulling the usual guard duty in this  
  
sector and he commonly stopped by to say hello to the girls, who  
  
always seemed to enjoy the polite attention and friendly (if not  
  
slightly irritating) company.  
  
But Zelgadis, he was really at work.  
  
Through the VR headset he saw information fly past. Other travelers  
  
in the digital circumference buzzed past, little more than flickering  
  
lights. He knew he was clearly visible, though; he had both the  
  
ability and inclination to make himself as clear as possible. While  
  
others used the circumference for information and entertainment, he  
  
made it his priority to be seen so everyone would know that he was on  
  
the hunt.  
  
His prey would be back tonight, if only to test the restraints and  
  
look for traps. He'd never actually gotten to see the hacker, but he  
  
knew that when he came out he would be just as clearly visible; he  
  
loved to play, he loved to be seen. He was famous, after all; not  
  
that anyone in the circumference would dare stop and chat with him.  
  
Once he was seen, the area usually cleared out - with a slight  
  
warning beforehand. Ah... sound the alarms.  
  
Through the tangle of wires and lines he could see the little  
  
travelers clearing out as the cry went up. 'Lock up the files, but  
  
it'll do no good; Serial Number Sam is on the prowl for food.' He'd  
  
been taught that stupid nursery rhyme for as long as he could  
  
remember, but it was obsolete. It had been dubbed illegal for  
  
'Serial Number Sams' to be produced after 2340, and by now they'd all  
  
died out. They had short life spans anyway; despite the contracts  
  
they signed, their manufacturers usually dismantled them the instant  
  
they lost their edge. Spare parts were hard to come by, after all,  
  
and fetched a high price on the market.  
  
He readied the nets; if this were indeed Xelloss, he'd have to be  
  
ready to act fast. Trap them in their digital projections then track  
  
them back to their bodies. It was usually easy as pie, but this one  
  
was faster than anything he'd seen before. This guy was probably  
  
permanently affixed to a terminal; his corporeal body was more than  
  
likely nothing more than a bit of flesh and a brain with wires in it.  
  
It was the only way for him to move so fast here.  
  
The light was growing up ahead, so the bastard had lit himself up  
  
like a neon sign. It was just like the pretentious asshole to be the  
  
most visible thing in the area. It was strange, lavender sort of  
  
luminescence, and as he grew brighter he tensed, ready to launch the  
  
burning cage that would anchor him from his body...  
  
...when he felt pressure on his shoulder. Or rather, where his  
  
shoulder would be if he were corporeal. "Hunting rabbits again?"  
  
The voice was chillingly soft, and he started nervously, jerking  
  
around to face the intruder.  
  
"I'm on duty - this is a restricted area. Clear out." his voice  
  
trailed off as he caught sight of the entity projected before him.  
  
Was it male or female? Judging by the lithe, slim body, it was more  
  
than likely male, though the maker hadn't gone to any great lengths  
  
to project an air of masculinity. Purple hair framed a pale face,  
  
and a black gloved hand still rested on his shoulder from beneath the  
  
undulating mass of shimmering purple-black robes the figure was  
  
swathed in. There was a breathtakingly mischievous smile curling the  
  
thin lips and as the head canted, eyebrows raised.  
  
"Hello?" The voice was like a chainsaw cutting through silk,  
  
grating the back of his brain while slipping and caressing everything  
  
else. The hand released his shoulder and the figure moved closer,  
  
their faces only inches apart as the creature searched the hunter's  
  
eyes. "Is anyone home in there?"  
  
And it was then that he saw it.  
  
With the projection so close he could see the eyes; they were  
  
purple, entrancing, but they were diamond-shaped with slit pupils.  
  
Ingrained on the purple irises were serial numbers... twenty-four, five,  
  
twelve, twelve...  
  
"...fifteen, nineteen, nineteen!" he blurted out, eyes wide. Shit! It  
  
was him! He brought up the launcher and Xelloss's eyes narrowed  
  
dangerously as he drifted back then made a sharp jerk to the left, so  
  
fast it was barely visible. He glanced back over his shoulder,  
  
having momentarily forgotten about the source of the mysterious light  
  
earlier, and Xelloss spoke up with a chuckle.  
  
"It's called a diversion, hunter. I'd think you wouldn't be dumb  
  
enough to fall for it, but, well, now I have my answer." The figure  
  
continued to dart left to right randomly, circling the hunter in a  
  
dizzying dance of distraction, the swirling, shimmering robe  
  
flickering like a mirage.  
  
"So what are you after this time, then?" Zelgadis attempted as he  
  
tried to set the sights on the flickering figure.  
  
"That's a secret, you should know that," Xelloss tsked, grinning  
  
wildly and disappearing in an impossibly-fast move, only to reappear  
  
directly behind the hunter and grab the weapon from him. Tutting and  
  
chuckling, he raised the massive launcher onto a shoulder that  
  
shouldn't have been able to take the weight - he obviously had a  
  
master's control over this form - and tilted his head. "I wonder. I  
  
wonder. I wonder if I turned this up all the way, then hid you,  
  
would your friends find your projection before your body rotted  
  
away?"  
  
The grin was absolutely malicious, but Zelgadis returned it boldly.  
  
"You really think I'd carry something that could trap my own  
  
projection?" he bluffed, hoping he sounded convincing. It was quite  
  
probable that he'd die long before his friends found his projection  
  
if this guy hid him.  
  
The figure seemed to ponder this, then snickered. "Yes, I think you  
  
would." And with that, he fired.  
  
****************************  
  
Dammit... what had happened? Every inch of his body burned as if on  
  
fire and he couldn't move a muscle. There was no telling how long  
  
he'd been out, but if the pain raging through him way any indication,  
  
he had been trapped for a long, long time. He'd always wondered what  
  
it would feel like to be netted; his prey had made it obvious that  
  
it was quite painful by their screams. Funny. He couldn't seem to  
  
scream now, even though it hurt like hell.  
  
His solitude was interrupted by a sharp pain in his nose - gah! What  
  
was that?! Jerking back to consciousness, he winced as the bright  
  
lights assaulted his eyes. "What? Huh?" His throat was dry, making  
  
his voice an almost unintelligible croak.  
  
"Your projection doesn't carry a regulation net, you know," a  
  
familiar voice intoned with mild irritation. He squinted up to find  
  
Lina standing over him, a small jar of smelling salts in her hand.  
  
"We almost never got you out of that thing. You're just one lucky  
  
bastard, that's all."  
  
His stare was blank, completely uncomprehending, and Amelia chuckled.  
  
"With that expression, he looks a lot like Gourry, doesn't he?" That  
  
got his attention, and he shot her a glare causing her to flinch back  
  
in mock-terror.  
  
Sitting up slowly, he raised his hand against his forehead to block  
  
out the pain, groaning low. "What happened?"  
  
"We-ell... he had you cornered, but I showed up just in time, luckily  
  
enough," Lina beamed.  
  
"I was there, too!" Amelia pouted, elbowing the redhead, who went on  
  
as though she hadn't heard.  
  
"So I happened upon you just as he fired, and managed to get him with  
  
my own net," she grinned.  
  
"But I helped her hold it!" Amelia wailed.  
  
Zelgadis looked back and forth between the two of them. "You were  
  
both supposed to be studying. What were you doing in the  
  
circumference anywhere near me? I was in the deep files."  
  
"Well, we were..." Amelia looked over to Lina who shrugged.  
  
"We were researching the central perimeter's deep file integration  
  
notes for the exam."  
  
He pondered this a moment, then smirked. "With a hunter-only  
  
projection net?"  
  
A slight falter, and she managed a hopeful smile. "Uh... we were  
  
granted it for security measures in case Xelloss showed up?" she  
  
ventured.  
  
"There's no such thing, you know," Zelgadis remarked as he started to  
  
pluck the monitoring wires off his forehead and chest.  
  
Lina blanched. "I meant the outer perimeter," she added hurriedly.  
  
Smirking, he stood and clarified idly, "Not that. I meant that  
  
there's no question about it on the exam." The two girls exchanged  
  
glances, knowing they were caught, and he patted them on their heads.  
  
"It's okay, I won't tell. I appreciate you looking out for me, even  
  
if it could've gotten you ripped or kicked out of the academy."  
  
"Yeah, well, the same could be said of your projection net. What did  
  
you do to that thing, anyway? It was practically impossible to get  
  
it off!" Amelia yelped excitedly - no doubt hoping to build one of  
  
her own.  
  
"You know I can't tell you that," he started, then something seemed  
  
to click in the back of his mind; something his brain had been  
  
screaming since Lina first started talking. "You shot him with your  
  
net?"  
  
Shrugging smugly, Lina nodded. "Yep. Then I fired one on him with  
  
your net when he dropped it, just to make sure. I got him stowed in  
  
the lockout files."  
  
The both looked around, but Zelgadis was already gone.  
  
********************  
  
He was going to be dismantled. When he didn't return with the files  
  
within a few days, they would have already started to dismantle him  
  
for spare parts, and he couldn't do a damn thing about it because he  
  
was stuck in this net! He shifted restlessly, the burning threads  
  
cutting into his arms through the translucent robe that flickered and  
  
hovered about him, barely there. He had his mind on other important  
  
things at the moment and the robes took up a lot of memory.  
  
If he could cry, he probably would.  
  
Giving up his struggles for a while, he rewound the scene and played  
  
it back in slow motion. The hunter had been right there; the source  
  
of all his problems, the one thing that made his job such a problem.  
  
And so much fun. No other hunter had come so close to netting him  
  
so many times. Was that why he hesitated? Not that he hesitated  
  
long, of course. He really got a kick out of that expression on the  
  
hunter's face when the threads wound around his projection - he could  
  
even picture the way his corporeal body would have shuddered and  
  
twitched as the ties to his mind were temporarily severed.  
  
Speaking of projections - he paused the playback to just before he  
  
fired, getting a good look at the body - why had he chose such a  
  
strange form? He had looked like some kind of elven creature. The  
  
ears were pointed and thin, along with his eyes. His features were  
  
sharp, cutting, his skin a pale sky blue in contrast to the dark  
  
sapphire eyes. There was what looked like a series of stones  
  
embedded into the chin and just under the eyes, no doubt for  
  
intimidation purposes. They actually succeeded in making him look  
  
rather fetching. He had worn the usual navy and red hunter's  
  
uniform, though there were a few items attached to the belt that he  
  
doubted were strictly regulation. The net he carried definitely  
  
wasn't regulation.  
  
Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice the hunter come up behind him.  
  
Reaching out, he grabbed a bit of net that was wrapped around the  
  
hacker's throat that he'd apparently managed to loosen, and with a  
  
sharp tug he tightened it again causing the prisoner to gasp and  
  
croak out a groan of pained protest.  
  
"Now that I've got your attention," Zelgadis started  
  
conversationally, "I'd like to get a few pieces of information from  
  
you. The more helpful you are, the faster we can retrieve your body  
  
and finish this off."  
  
Xelloss glared at the hunter of his shoulder and snorted, the robe  
  
flickering back to a more solid state as he straightened up in an  
  
effort to regain his dignity. "They're going to start disassembling  
  
me any time now. I don't see why I need to bother cooperating."  
  
Zelgadis found himself staring at the figure, then he blinked out of  
  
it. "Bullshit. They wouldn't disassemble their star and we both  
  
know that. Besides," he added with a snort, "as fast as you are, I  
  
can't see how there's much left to disassemble."  
  
The hacker's eyebrows raised, and he huffed. "I think that's  
  
entirely uncalled for. There's plenty of me left, thank you very  
  
much. But, thanks for the compliment," he grinned. The grin  
  
faltered as he felt a hand on his hip between the glowing bands that  
  
bound him.  
  
"I don't believe you," the hunter whispered, lips brushing against  
  
Xelloss's ear.  
  
Xelloss jerked, then frowned as he flinched away. "Don't touch me,  
  
hunter-boy." He paused, then added, "Unless you want to be trapped  
  
in the net, too."  
  
Tapping out a code on the wrist pad, he disengaged the net around the  
  
hacker and met his gaze evenly as he brushed a hand against the white  
  
cheek, causing Xelloss to flinch away, shaking his head. "Don't  
  
touch me."  
  
The hand immediately fell, and he nodded. "Fair enough. What are  
  
you after, then? I remind you that you're still in the lockout  
  
files; there's no way out of here. No connection to the  
  
circumference."  
  
Xelloss nodded slowly, understanding his meaning. It wasn't a  
  
reminder that he couldn't escape; it was an assurance that the  
  
mainframe he was connected to wouldn't be able to intercept anything  
  
he said. But still... "That's a secret."  
  
"I see," Zelgadis nodded, his tone somewhat darker. "Will you at  
  
least tell me who you're working for?"  
  
The hacker was silent, but soon the shaking of his shoulders was  
  
clearly visible. Closing the distance between them, Zelgadis tried  
  
to steady the prisoner with a light hand on his shoulder which was  
  
immediately shrugged off with an accompanying slap that resounded  
  
throughout the chamber.  
  
"Don't touch me!" Xelloss screamed, a hint of hysteria in his voice.  
  
"They're going to disassemble me! Goddammit!" He swung a fist at  
  
the hunter, who simply took the blow stoically. "You don't give a  
  
shit! Just keep me here, alright? Just keep me here and you won't  
  
have to worry about your precious files much longer because I'll be  
  
in tiny pieces in a bunch of jars on the sale rack!"  
  
Taken aback by this sudden outburst, Zelgadis was momentarily stunned  
  
into stillness. It wore off soon, however, and despite the hacker's  
  
earlier protests he grabbed him and held him close, saying nothing  
  
until the robed figure's wild thrashings finally subsided to tearless  
  
sobs, his voice barely audible as he whispered, "It's going to hurt.  
  
I wonder if I'll feel it here?" The hunter's heart broke at the  
  
resigned tone in Xelloss's musings. "They'll have to start soon,  
  
won't they? If I'm dead then they can't harvest the parts... they're  
  
no good. Maybe I have one more day left... how long have I been here?  
  
Please don't touch me." It was almost an afterthought, accompanied  
  
by a half-hearted push against the hunter's chest.  
  
Zelgadis made no moves to release him and instead held him tighter,  
  
closing his eyes. "Tell me who you work for and I'll get your body  
  
back. I can't let you go; it would be too obvious to the  
  
higher-ups. But I can bring your body back here and you'll be safe."  
  
"Just leave me alone," came the monotone reply.  
  
Taking another route of action, Zelgadis smoothed back the purple  
  
locks of hair gently, pressing a kiss to the faintly-struggling boy's  
  
forehead. "Why don't you want to be touched?"  
  
Silence, at first. Then a whisper, "That's a secret, stupid damn  
  
fleshie."  
  
Fleshie. He hadn't heard that word in a long time; not since the  
  
world was filled with 'Serial Number Sams' who used it as a  
  
derogatory term towards their fully-human counterparts. It actually  
  
made him chuckle a little, and Xelloss pushed at him harder. "No,  
  
no," Zelgadis smiled, "I wasn't laughing at you. I just... haven't heard  
  
that word in a long time."  
  
Xelloss offered a tiny - though the hunter found it absolutely  
  
radiant - smile. "Sorry. I'm just not hip, I guess."  
  
"I guess so," Zelgadis conceded, then brushed his lips against the  
  
white temple, pushing back the purple strands gently. "Are you going  
  
to tell me where I can find you?"  
  
The hacker shuddered at the touch, then sighed, giving up. His death  
  
was imminent; it didn't really matter anymore. "Promenade  
  
Enterprises, basement level twenty-six." He shifted and sighed,  
  
finally relaxing against the body offered. He felt the hunter's  
  
shudder and smiled slightly; his own projection was freezing compared  
  
to that of a 'fleshie', but the hunter was doing a good job of  
  
pretending not to notice. He added playfully, "I'll be the third jar  
  
on the left, in case you get confused. Please be sure to get all  
  
eight bottles of me or I'll be really sad."  
  
"I don't doubt it," he smirked, disengaging himself from the  
  
entanglement of the hacker's robes. "Now keep quiet; I'll be back  
  
in no time."  
  
"Liar."  
  
Zelgadis smirked. "Maybe." And with that, he disconnected.  
  
**************************  
  
Jerking out of the chair, he immediately ripped off the gloves and  
  
glasses before jumping out of the chair. Lina was waiting for him in  
  
the doorway, but he pushed past her hurriedly and she called out  
  
after him, "What's the rush?"  
  
"Got a corporeal to catch. Need to get there fast," was all he said  
  
as he disappeared down the hall.  
  
Her eyebrows raised, then she grinned and looked back at the console  
  
he was sitting at. Lockout files always kept a record of all  
  
activity within them... too bad Zel was in such a hurry he'd forgotten  
  
to erase it.  
  
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- 


	2. Chapter 2 The Claim

CyberSins, Chapter 2  
  
Getting in was easy; it always was. Once he flashed his badge he was allowed free roaming of the entire complex; attempting to block out a hunter was usually the worst thing any company could ever think of doing, since it was undefendable in court. A hacker you could get away with, a 'Serial Number Sam' you could get away with.halting an investigation was something no lawyer would touch.  
  
He didn't know what to expect when he stood before the doorway leading into basement level twenty-six. Inside would more than likely be a bit of tissue in a bunch of little vats with wires hooked up to it, just as the hacker had been teasing with earlier. He shuddered. The projection was so beautiful, but the body was nothing worth saving. It happened all the time. Regardless, he punched in the code on the keypad he'd been giving and stepped in, taking a deep breath.  
  
He couldn't believe it.  
  
Settled into the niche of the metal capsule was a beautiful figure, eyes closed in rest but the face flickering with traces of pain and discomfort. Various limbs occasionally twitched and shuddered, muscles convulsing minutely without the brain's ability to control them.  
  
After the initial shock, Zelgadis stepped forward and opened the glass panel, trying to ignore the pounding of his heart as he lifted the nude figure from the cradle gently, pulling it forward enough so that he could disconnect it from the mainframe. He removed the input plugs from the wrists and ankles first, wincing as he did so - it seemed like it should hurt horribly, though the limp body resting against his made no indication one way or another. The hunter's hands traveled down the spine, feeling the occasional irregular lump in the cold skin caused by the wires running beneath, and he grasped the plug in the small of the back securely, gingerly tugging it out. How had they managed to imbed six inches of input plugs into his back without damaging any major organs?  
  
Then he understood; Xelloss was incredibly fast because, as beautiful as he was, nothing beneath the skin was human. He had most of a brain, maybe one lung and part of a heart, but nothing else. He didn't eat, he didn't drink.he was just skin pulled over wires into a pretty package. There were no organs or tendons to damage, so the input plugs could be as long as they body's dimensions allowed - the science of making these hybrids had come a long way, especially for a science that was illegal.  
  
His hands moved up to the plug in the base of the neck. This was it; he had seventeen minutes to get the body back to the projection before the connection was severed permanently. Could these things get ripped? He'd seen it happen in humans often enough, when a jealous lover or old enemy unplugged the corporeal from the circumference before the projection returned. Taking a deep breath, he pushed all other thoughts aside as he prepared to remove the plug, but he paused.  
  
Looking at the beautiful face, he leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to the cold lips, nuzzling softly before sighing. There was no way this creature would let himself be touched in the real world if he wouldn't even allow his projection to be held; this was probably the closest he'd ever come to kissing the hacker. Metal fingertips traced the closed eyes, then he sighed and slid the six inches of metal spike out of the base of the skull.  
  
***************************  
  
"What do you mean there's no hook up like this?!" Zelgadis was on the verge of hysterics.  
  
Amelia was tending to Xelloss's vital signs as Lina sat next to a terrified Zelgadis, shuffling through various wires and metal bits in search of a plug that would fit. "It's just this simple, okay?" Lina sighed, testing a plug by shoving it roughly into the base of the unconscious hacker's skull causing Amelia to shudder and Gourry to come quite close to throwing up. She threw it aside when it didn't fit and continued, "These are deep sockets. I just don't know if we have anything here that can fit it. I'll have to rig something up, that's all."  
  
"Three minutes left," Amelia reminded them nervously. "We've got to get something to connect him back to his projection or he's lost."  
  
He hadn't anticipated this. He hadn't even thought of it. Once he got the body back here, everything should have been fine; it didn't cross his mind that these specially-designed cables would be practically impossible to find. His whole body was numb; he was trying to save the hacker, but by bringing him here he'd only killed him faster. It was unbearable.  
  
"Two minutes," Amelia announced shakily, looking over to Gourry.  
  
"Working on it, alright?" Lina retorted through gritted teeth. She hooked up a wire to the lockout file's input port and attached the longest plug she could find to it, then cracked off the base and stripped the wire. She hadn't become the best guardian-in-training in her class for nothing; she could protect any file thrown at her, but she could also access any file as well. Just because the file was locked inside a body didn't make much of a difference. Grabbing a screwdriver, she jammed it into the newly-stripped wire to give it support, then nodded to the two men. "Right, hold him down, boys. This should do it."  
  
"Th.thirty seconds."  
  
Gourry and Zelgadis grabbed on, the blonde holding the legs and the hunter gripping the shoulders and arms. Lina took a deep breath, then rammed the makeshift plug into the base of the skull as hard as she could, shoving it all the way in with the screwdriver until the plug's tip hit the connection port. Xelloss's body shuddered and jerked, then the hacker thrashed wildly in a fit of seizures and suddenly went limp.  
  
Confused, the four exchanged glances and Amelia looked to the monitoring system, shaking her head. "I.I don't think it worked. Nothing's changed; he heart rate hasn't gone up a bit, or his blood pressure. Guys."  
  
Zelgadis growled. "He doesn't have enough heart to register a change in beat. There's not enough blood to show any pressure at all on the monitor. He's in there somewhere."  
  
"Zel, c'mon," Lina sighed, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I know how you felt for him, I know you were trying to save him, but -"  
  
"What? How do you know?" Zelgadis looked at her incredulously, and she chuckled.  
  
"Because you didn't delete the files from your lockout session," she mumbled, cheeks blushing red.  
  
Amelia and Gourry watched the two suspiciously, then came to the realization - and truth - of what was being said when Zelgadis's face flushed as well. "You didn't have a right to look at those files. They're restricted to trainees, you know."  
  
"I hope she's a better trainee than a surgeon," came a wobbly response, and they looked down to see Xelloss trying to push up from his prostrate position weakly. "Dammit.what the hell did she use to connect? Do I even want to know?"  
  
Lina looked peeved, and she slapped the ingrate on the shoulder.sending him back down with a grunt. "I used a screwdriver, if you must know. I figured you were as screwy as you could get, so it couldn't hurt." She leaned back with a grin, looking pleased with herself.  
  
"A..screwdriver?" Xelloss looked like he was going to be sick, but he chuckled and sighed. "You know, that would be a lot funnier if it wasn't my head we were talking about."  
  
"That's not the funny part."  
  
"Oh?" The hacker looked over at Lina who was currently wielding a pair of pliers and a frightening grin.  
  
"Nah, the funny part's gonna be getting that thing out. Hold him down, boys."  
  
**********************************  
  
For three days Zelgadis watched the hacker carefully. He seemed to be recovering, but it was hard to tell. Without any kind of vital signs of body chemistry to check - at least, that they knew how to check - it was impossible to tell how Xelloss was coming along. When questioned, he would always answer that he was doing fine, but the hunter couldn't shake the feeling that it was a lie.  
  
On the fourth day, Xelloss finally approached him...and none too shyly. Zelgadis was at work on a new case, having dismissed the Xelloss case as closed (without details, of course), when he felt a tug. Someone was ripping him! He could feel the slight pull, the sensation of someone unplugging his body from the circumference, and he rushed back, his mind connecting with his body suddenly as he gasped back into consciousness. Xelloss extracted the final plug from his headset with a grin, just as he returned.  
  
Beyond furious, Zelgadis grabbed the hacker by the collar of his grey tank top, growling dangerously. "What the hell were you trying to do?!"  
  
Shrugging himself free, the hacker smirked. "Well I had to get your attention somehow, didn't I?" Before Zelgadis could reply, Xelloss continued. "Look, I have to get out of here."  
  
"Why?" came the cautious reply.  
  
"Because.I need to buy some.stuff," he finished lamely, shooting a glare that dared Zelgadis to question further. Not that it mattered.  
  
"Explain."  
  
"Yeah, explain. And while you're at it, explain where the extra dissipation chemicals fluttered off to, too," Lina added, making her presence known as she took up her usual station by the doorway.  
  
Xelloss cast a glare back at her over his shoulder, and then shook his head, suddenly grinning. "Why am I even asking you people? I don't have to ask any of you for permission to go anywhere, anyway."  
  
"You do if you intend to go anywhere out side of this complex," Lina pointed out helpfully. "Unless you somehow know the maps, that is. This place is a maze."  
  
Chuckling, the hacker tapped his temple mysteriously. "Got them all up here, little guardian. Don't think I'm bluffing, either. Your superiors were all too happy to feed them to me." Seeing that they had misunderstood his reply, he clarified, "No, they didn't 'give' them to me per your literal sense. Honestly, you people have no sense of drama. I mean they were all but handing them out, considering the pitiful security measures they have up."  
  
Zelgadis filed this bit of information in the back of his mind as he pulled off the VR glasses, then nodded. "Fine. But if you'll just tell me what you need, I might be able to find it for you here."  
  
"I need food," he said simply, shrugging.  
  
"Food?" Lina eyed him suspiciously before looking to Zelgadis. "I thought you said he didn't eat.?"  
  
"I thought he didn't. There's nothing in there for him to digest it with. At least, I don't think there is."  
  
"How kind of you to speak of me as though I'm not standing right here," Xelloss remarked bitterly, then shook his head. "I have a little bit of tissue, okay? It's got to be kept alive somehow. I just need the right chemical mix - sort of like those things you fleshies drink when you're working out. Protein shakes, kind of thing."  
  
Lina's eyebrows rose as she looked over at Zelgadis yet again. "Did he just call me a fleshie? What the hell is a fleshie? Do I need to hit him?"  
  
Again the grin crossed the hunter's face at the ancient term and he chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I'll explain later. Alright, so what do you need? Apparently you've already gotten some of what you need. You didn't have to steal it, you know."  
  
"Well, no, but that certainly is a lot more fun."  
  
"Right. So if you know the way out, get going. I assume you've already got funds stashed everywhere. What's stopping you?"  
  
Xelloss looked uncomfortable for a moment, but he finally shrugged. "I need some clothes."  
  
It was barely a whisper, and both of them had to struggle to hear it. Lina snorted. "You're wearing clothes right now, moron."  
  
Frustrated, Xelloss held up his hands in front of her face, the import sockets in his wrists and the faint lines caused by the wires beneath his skin clearly visible thanks to the sleeveless tank top. "Yeah, I'll do just wonderful out there in the natural world walking around with these in plain sight, won't I?"  
  
She blinked as she stared into the black holes, then shuddered and stuck out her tongue. "That is so disgusting. Point made and taken. I'll get you something to wear right away," she muttered, heading out the door top speed.  
  
The hacker was grinning at her discomfort, but Zelgadis could see the smile didn't go all the way to the eyes. Climbing out of the chair, he laid a hand on Xelloss's shoulder, causing him to jump. "She's not used to seeing that. Don't take it so personally."  
  
"I try not to take anything personally." He shrugged off the hand and turned to face him. "But she didn't seem to mind when she was digging around with the pliers, did she?"  
  
"She's just a sadist at heart, is all." After a moment of silence, he remarked, "You know you don't really need a shirt. No one would have noticed. Those that did notice wouldn't have known what you are."  
  
"Maybe it's not for my sake that I need to cover them," Xelloss retorted dryly, pushing away the hunter's hand as it reached out to touch him once more. "Why are you always touching me?" he shot out, glaring at the hunter. "What are you, some kind of pervert?"  
  
The hand withdrew immediately, and Zelgadis took a step back awkwardly. Of course, it had never really crossed his mind that the most obvious reason for the repeated rejection was that the hacker simply didn't 'swing that way.' "S.sorry," he muttered embarrassedly, covering his hurt with a clumsy cough.  
  
"No problem," Xelloss nodded, eyeing him warily. Then he chuckled. "But they did do a pretty good job with me, huh? They said they wanted me to pass for an average human, and so here I am. Could've been worse, regardless." Zelgadis looked up at him, eyebrows raised, and the hacker poked him in the chest. "It's easy to forget, isn't it?"  
  
"Forget what?" Zelgadis replied, totally confused at this point.  
  
"It's easy to forget that I'm a lump of wires. Unless you're into that sort of thing," Xelloss smirked, hiding his pain with that impossible grin.  
  
It took Zelgadis a moment to realize what the hacker was saying, but when he did he couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head incredulously. "You're saying you won't let me touch you because you're a hybrid?"  
  
"No," Xelloss said pointedly, "I'm saying I won't let you touch me because you keep forgetting I'm a hybrid. I'm sure if you remembered, you'd come back to your senses."  
  
Zelgadis smiled, reaching out again to brush the cold cheek with his fingertips. "Are you implying that I'm not capable of remembering something for more than five minutes, or are you actually thinking that I care?"  
  
Xelloss blinked at the strange reply, but before he could make a comeback of his own he found the hunter's lips pressed against his in an insistent but gentle kiss. The purple eyes slid closed as a shiver ran through him and he leaned against the hunter, returning the kiss tentatively just as Lina returned with a long-sleeved shirt, Amelia in tow.  
  
"Digital hell! You guys, get a room!" she shrieked as her cheeks flushed red, and she threw the shirt at them.  
  
"Z..Zel.?" was all Amelia could stammer in disbelief as Lina drug her from the room.  
  
The two separated abruptly and exchanged the embarrassed coughs of people who'd been caught in a thoroughly embarrassing situation. Xelloss picked up the shirt that had been thrown at him and he slipped it on over the tank top, turning up the collar to cover the port in the back of his neck despite the fact that his hair covered it anyway.  
  
"Right. I need to pick up the other chemicals. I'll.I'll be back later," he mumbled before disappearing out the door.  
  
****************************  
  
Back in her room, Amelia sat huddled on her bed against the wall. She hadn't wanted to believe what Lina said earlier about Zelgadis's relationship to the hybrid. His blush wasn't necessarily an affirmative; it was just embarrassment at what Lina was suggesting. But how could he have been kissing that thing? Maybe it had infected his brain while it was being interrogated in the lockout files. That would explain why Zelgadis closed the case without turning the hacker in! Of course!  
  
Wait.  
  
Were they even capable of that? They were supposed to be really amazing at running around the circumference really fast, but were they able to actually infect a totally human brain like a virus or something? She paused, but didn't dwell on it long. Of course he had. Besides, all the volumes upon volumes of books she had on hybrids were old; it was possible that they had new technology and they could do that sort of thing.  
  
She had to save her Zelgadis.  
  
***************************  
  
Zelgadis, Lina and Gourry had followed Xelloss from the moment he returned, arms full. They were currently tracking him through the corridors, much to the hacker's annoyance, and he finally turned, exasperated.  
  
"If you're going to follow me, at least take a couple of these bags. They're not light, you know."  
  
Gourry fiddled and then smiled. "We thought machines were really strong."  
  
Xelloss's eyebrows raised, and Lina bonked the faithful security guard upside the head. "He's not a machine, Gourry. He's just a bunch of wires and stuff-"  
  
"Hey, wait just a minute -" Xelloss balked.  
  
"-it's not like he's a superhuman or anything. I mean, there's not an ounce of muscle on him. I'm sure he's strong and all in the circumference, but here he's practically nothing," she went on, not missing a beat.  
  
"Can I protest.?" he crept in weakly.  
  
"Just look at him, all skin and bones, really not much more than that if you strip away all the metal bits, and-"  
  
"Lina," Zelgadis cut in, clamping a hand over her mouth, "as thick as Gourry is, I'm sure he's got the point by now."  
  
Xelloss's eyebrow twitched irritably. "I know I certainly have." He shoved a bag into each of their arms, relieving himself completely of his burden, and nodded. "So if you're going to follow me, you're going to make yourselves useful. I need somewhere to call a kitchen. Preferably one with a fully-functional medilab."  
  
*****************************  
  
"Don't tell me you're actually going to drink that," Lina sputtered, making a face. "Wouldn't a cocktail like that melt your insides out?"  
  
Xelloss didn't look up from the table where he continued to mix the volatile chemicals carefully, constantly measuring and adding bits drop by drop. He sighed, pushing Gourry aside to get to another part of the table and shook his head. "Of course not. I don't have anything much besides bits of wires and metal, as you so delicately put it."  
  
Muttering something about people who held grudges, she folded her arms and nudged the silent Zelgadis with her toe, bringing him out of his reverie of lengthy stares at the hacker.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"If you were having to take that stuff, how would you do it?"  
  
Zelgadis blinked at her stupidly, taking a second glance at the jar of chemicals, then he smirked. "I don't think I would."  
  
"Pin-pom! Right answer!" Lina exclaimed with a punch to his shoulder - resulting in a resounding *bong* and a yelp from the girl.  
  
Xelloss chuckled and shook his head. "I feel so safe when I'm surrounded by mature, intelligent people such as you." He added a few more drops of liquid, turning the mixture into a thick, swirling, gray syrup, and grinned to himself. "That was sarcasm, by the way. I wasn't sure if you picked up on it. Right." He carried the concoction over to the medilab's chair and sat the beaker on the table beside it, but paused before removing the long- sleeved shirt. "You guys can leave now, you know. I really am perfectly capable of feeding myself."  
  
Gourry didn't take the hint, but Lina did and she drug him out by his long blond hair muttering something about getting a snack. Zelgadis remained. He crossed the room to where Xelloss was climbing into the chair and stopped beside him, unsure of what to say or do. The hacker watched him for a full minute, then finally broke the silence.  
  
"Let me guess; you want to watch in the interest of the scientific community, right?"  
  
"Actually, I wanted to watch because it gives me a reason to look at you," the hunter countered smoothly, stuffing his hands into his pockets with a shrug.  
  
Xelloss stared at him, jaw slack, then rolled his eyes. "I suppose you make passes like this on all the electronic appliances around here. The toaster's probably already filed for a sexual harassment lawsuit against you," he mumbled as he fumbled in one of the bags of items he'd bought. Finally producing an unnaturally-long hypodermic needle and a length of tubing, he attached the two and hooked them up to the injection pump before leaning back in the chair. "If you're going to stand there, be a dear and pour the solution into the tank for me."  
  
Numbly, Zelgadis nodded and carefully added the mixture to the vat where medicine would normally go for intravenous introduction. When he looked back up, the syringe was already slid neatly into a previously-unnoticed port in the hacker's right forearm just beneath the elbow. Zelgadis couldn't help it; it had to be said.  
  
"Exactly how many ports do you have hidden on you?"  
  
Choking on a snort of laughter, Xelloss hit the switch to start the pumps. "Like I'd tell you that! It's personal."  
  
"Fair enough; you ask me something personal, then you have to answer my question."  
  
"No way, I'm not falling into that kind of trap." Xelloss tapped the syringe to make sure it was flowing properly, then leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "I miss the circumference."  
  
The change in topic was expected, but sudden, and Zelgadis made no move to return to the previous subject. "Lina's working on fixing a set of plugs for you, you know."  
  
"How very sweet of her."  
  
"You don't appreciate it?"  
  
Xelloss paused a moment in thought, then smiled faintly. "Yes, I do, actually." He then continued in his most robotic voice, "I am simply not programmed to express appreciation."  
  
"Liar."  
  
"I'm not; I'm just alternatively-aligned to the legitimacy of particular items of subject matter."  
  
"Liar."  
  
"Damn you and your one-word answers."  
  
"They're my specialty," Zelgadis chuckled, leaning in to touch the hybrid once more, leaning against the framework of the chair. His fingers traced lightly beneath the closed violent eyes but pulled back as the hacker winced, shying away slightly.  
  
"Knock it off. I'm eating," he muttered halfheartedly.  
  
Another chuckle, and Zelgadis's hands traced down to the lips idly. "That's not much of an excuse in your condition."  
  
Sighing, Xelloss looked up at the figure above him, and reaching up with his left arm he traced the seams where metal connected to skin across the hunter's face contemplatively. "You know, this really wasn't what I was expecting. Your projection is so different. Why did you change it?"  
  
"You think if I can change to look like anything, I'd keep these stupid metal slabs all over me?"  
  
"I don't know; I find them rather fetching." Xelloss grinned at the hunter's discomfort, then nudged him. "So why do you have them? Some kind of an accident, or maybe an idea for a new fashion trend gone bad?"  
  
"I had some machinery blow up on me."  
  
"It must have been one hell of a big piece of machinery."  
  
He shrugged and continued to trace the lines of the beautiful face idly until the purple eyes closed once more in relaxation. "It was actually the main encasement for the company's motherboard. So yes, it was one hell of a big piece of machinery."  
  
Silence pervaded the room for a few minutes, broken only by the occasional hiss of machinery. Finally Xelloss smiled secretly and tilted his head, his voice mildly sleepy.  
  
"When you screw up, you really screw up, don't you?"  
  
"Yeah, I do." The fingers continued to memorize the patterns of the cold skin; the delicate features, the lack of any kind of lines. Leaning down, he kissed the half-asleep hybrid very softly, little more than brushing their lips together. "Do you know what this means?"  
  
Sighing contentedly, Xelloss was all put purring, having simply resigned himself to the light touches. "Mm?"  
  
"It means that I answered a personal question for you." Zelgadis smirked mischievously. "Now it's your turn."  
  
***************************  
  
Amelia was typing furiously at her terminal, screening through piles upon piles of data and cross-references. She had been working all through the night, not sleeping an instant until she'd found what she was looking for, but now she was exhausted and completely out of ideas for places to look. Regardless, she had to get rid of the hybrid; it was simply bad news - dangerous beyond belief.  
  
And then it hit her.  
  
The hackers had been made by Promenade Enterprises, had it not? So did it not make sense that they would want their property back? True, Zelgadis had already set the case as being closed, but that didn't mean that they were dumb enough to think he was gone for good, otherwise an autopsy report would have come out and there would have been questions and such. They'd be so much happier if the hybrid were back in their hands, under their control. Then it'd be put back to work and some other hunter could catch him and put him away for good. Maybe even she could do it! That would prove that she could be a better hunter than a guardian!  
  
A grin crossed her face as she pulled up the keyboard once more. All it would take was an e-mail to their headquarters, and then they'd be all too happy to tell her what to do. Everything would fall directly into place.  
  
She had to save her Zelgadis. 


	3. Chapter 3 The Counterfit

CyberSins, Chapter 3  
  
Three weeks had passed and their new companion had fit into the schedule rather well, even occasionally helping Lina with her training and studies. It was impossible to ignore the fact that he and the hunter were getting closer and closer, the hybrid sitting by and watching somewhat wistfully as Zelgadis worked in the circumference. It was on one such occasion that Lina came in, giving the hacker a firm kick in the ass.  
  
"What the hell was that for?" he grumbled as he stood, rubbing his sore rear. "Did you forget how to speak again?"  
  
"No, I just forgot your stupid name, s'all." Smirking, the petit girl tossed him a box which he caught reflexively.  
  
"Hmph. See if I help you study any more, you ungrateful fleshie. What's this, then? Some new device to replace your annoying presence while you're sleeping?" he queried as he turned the box over in his hands.  
  
"Actually, it's your new hook-ups. Made 'em myself. Don't worry," she grinned as he looked at her skeptically, "they're completely screwdriver- free."  
  
"I'm sure that horribly depressed you."  
  
"You have no idea."  
  
Tossing a glance at the hunter, he grinned evilly and looked back to Lina. "You're such an angel...help me strap in?"  
  
*************************  
  
New cases. Everything seemed so boring now. He'd already caught eight hackers in the past three weeks; it was almost a joke. After the challenges that Xelloss put him through it just wasn't a fight to catch these little nobodies.  
  
Pausing near an information resource code authorization program, he watched the little travelers as they went about their daily routines. They were always so interested in what the circumference had to offer. Was it because it was their hobby and not their job? Or was it just because, for them, it still held so much mystery; so much to be explored? It was like a magic trick...it wasn't as mesmerizing once you knew how it was done.  
  
Silent contemplations abounded as he drifted from plane to plane, idly checking his equipment on a translucent panel that hovered in front of him. Technically he was on a case right now, but again it was boring and he had no reason to be terribly enthusiastic about the mundane assignment. He listened to the soft beeps and chirps as the projection net went through a series of tests and maintenance programs, and as he flexed his fingers he felt a gaze on him. A grin crossed his lips. Didn't this always happen? Usually it was a kid or something on their way to some kind of game site; they would stare at him until he looked at them, at which time they'd draw back and retreat, leaving him to watch the little fuzzy light recede into the distance.  
  
Well, that was about enough time. Hefting the still-chittering weapon, Zelgadis turned and looked back at his observer - then stopped, his jaw dropping with a muttered, "Fucking hell..."  
  
Beautiful. He was so beautiful. Having fully regained his former glory, the eclectic hacker lingered in space with the erratically-drifting cloak flickering about him hazily. The white skin, the luminescent violet hair...he seemed like some kind of dazzling digital demon that had come to claim his soul once and for all. Gliding forward, long fingers extended to trace an irregular spider web across the hunter's face sending shivers down the man's spine at the icy touch. The feather touch paused with an index finger on Zelgadis's lips and the hacker exhaled with a low, cat-like purr.  
  
"It's so good to finally be home. I'm alive again..."  
  
Zelgadis, thoroughly entranced by the voice - 'a silken chainsaw' was the only way to describe it - of the hacker, could do nothing but murmur a hazy agreement as he leaned into the touch. Brazenly, his hand rose to rest on Xelloss's waist and pull him closer as the other pulled the hacker's hand from his face, clearing the path to the cold, pale lips. "Please let me..." came the whispered plea.  
  
Unresponsive. Xelloss watched the hunter's movements and went along with them as if in a trance, but as those simple, beseeching words spilled from the rapidly closing lips the hacker tensed and shoved Zelgadis away hard. "No."  
  
For a moment the hunter looked as though here were going to cry. His eyes darkened, then he tossed his head, flicking the hair from his eyes. "You're so damn obnoxious. You can't make up your mind; once minute you're purring and nuzzling and the next you treat me like I'm some kind of disease. Either decide or fuck off. I'm not wasting any more time on you."  
  
Pain. Oh, both of them wished those words hadn't been spoken. Agony etched the hacker's face; guilt on the hunter's. Hurt though it did, there was nothing to be said to remedy the words. After a moment's silence, Xelloss reached forward once more, sliding a hand up the hunter's chest. He felt the imaginary muscles of his projection tense beneath the cold hands - cold, even through the clothes - and the hand continued up to curl behind his neck.  
  
Zelgadis took a deep breath, and brought his eyes to meet those of the hacker's. Purple, so beautiful. Such a rich shade of violet. Amethyst. Something. There was no color put to words to describe the shade. His head tilted as he read across the serial numbers there; twenty-four, five, twelve, twelve, one, nineteen, nineteen. Waitaminute. One? There was no one in Xelloss's serial number. Xell...ass? Xellass? Who the hell was -  
  
"Xellass!"  
  
The voice had come from behind him and Zelgadis turned to look over his shoulder. Xelloss was there, an infuriated scowl across the fair features. Instead of the drifting purple-static cloak, the hacker was encased in a shimmering violet bodysuit that looked to be sculpted from bone; clinging to the lithe frame while jagged ridges raced down his arms and back, cascading across his legs like spiked fringes tipped in gold. The delicate fingers were ringed with claw-like attachments, but claws didn't do much in the circumference...there were no corporeal bodies to shred at. Why? Recognition dawned; virus encoders. Using the claws to dig into the soft underbelly of the mainframe, the hacker would jam them into the central program buffer and use the extensions to embed the codes for the virus into the system. Looking back to the closer Xelloss - no, Xellass, he reminded himself - he brought up the net and aimed it into the doppelganger's stomach.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye he could see Xelloss rushing forward, some kind of scream or curse or something on his lips, then his finger tightened on the trigger.  
  
Or, at least, it tried to.  
  
His body went rigid with pain, the agony radiating from his back and chest. Muscles twitched, and his hand released the gun which drifted away harmlessly. Shocked, he looked down at himself to find Xellass's hand withdrawing from his chest...tipped in long, serrated virus encoders. The hand around his neck pulled free as well, and he found himself looking into the eerily cruel vision's face.  
  
"We don't know why you didn't turn in Xelloss. We don't know why there wasn't an investigation - not that we're complaining of course." The voice was so much like Xelloss's, but colder. Even colder than the skin. "We're not even sure exactly how you managed to get Xelloss back into the circumference without his original hookups," Xellass added with a contemptuous glare to his twin. "But it's very obvious that you're a danger to Promenade since you know about both of us. So...sweet dreams."  
  
Zelgadis tensed even more as cold lips pressed to his in a mockery of tenderness, then the creature was jerked away violently by Xelloss who had regained the dropped net gun. Kicking Xellass clear of Zelgadis, the hacker fired once, twice, three times, finally hitting on the fourth shot. Determined, Xelloss fired until the net was out of energy, in the end wrapped the copycat in seven nets. "Happy disassemblement, you shithead," he croaked tearlessly as he threw the gun aside and left Xellass to drift helplessly in the circumference.  
  
******************  
  
"MISS LIIINNAAAA!"  
  
Lina jerked up from her books with a start at the terrified shriek and she raced out the door towards the source of Amelia's voice, quickly joined by a panicked Gourry. This was bad. Gourry was never panicked.  
  
"What is it? What's...oh...oh my god..."  
  
The three stared in bewilderment at Zelgadis, hooked to the mainframe, eyes closed in unconsciousness. He shuddered and twitched in invisible agony, and the monitor with his vital stats was beeping and screaming in alarm. Looking back to Lina with wide, horrified eyes, Amelia shakily whispered, "What's happened to him?"  
  
"I....I don't know," Lina admitted. She approached the chair hastily, noting the sheen of sweat on the furrowed brow, and checked over the plugs. No, everything was plugged in, he hadn't been ripped. Another cursory once-over, and that's when she noticed the date file log, flipping across the screen in code. Her eyes widened. "Holy shit! He's got a virus!"  
  
The others regarded her in silent dumbfoundedness.  
  
"You mean like a cold? Maybe he needs some orange juice," Gourry offered helpfully.  
  
Lina started to reply, but Amelia cut her off. "I knew it! I knew he was evil!" Two surprised gazes turned to her and she nodded triumphantly. "I knew I was right by turning him in. I was certain that Xelloss had implanted some kind of virus in him when they were in the lockout session, and see, I was right!"  
  
This took a moment to assess, but Lina continued carefully, "So what did you do, Amelia?"  
  
"I e-mailed Promenade Enterprises and told them everything, and they said they would take care of it right away!" the little guardian-in-training blurted out helpfully.  
  
Lina froze. God, Amelia was a sweet girl but she was painfully naive. Climbing off the chair, she grabbed Amelia by the collar. "What the hell were you thinking!? How could you tell them about what he'd done?!"  
  
Amelia yelped at the sudden outburst and swallowed hard, feebly offering, "I thought it was the right thing to do. I...I thought Mister Zelgadis was in danger, and -"  
  
"And you didn't think they'd want to get rid of any dangers to their reputation?!"  
  
The black-haired girl froze in the pains of realization and she shook her head slowly, voice barely a whisper. "I...I didn't think...th-that..."  
  
Lina shoved her away and shook her head in utter rage. Great! Just great! She shot a glare to Amelia, then looked to Gourry. "I'm going in. Xelloss is already in, maybe I can help. You keep an eye on her - don't let her in this room for anything."  
  
Gourry looked at the teary-eyed Amelia, then nodded. "Gotcha."  
  
*****************  
  
"God...oh god...what the fuck?" Zelgadis shuddered and spasmed, fists clenched tight with pain.  
  
"It's a virus...you have a virus in your projection," Xelloss informed him as he looked him over. He was doing his best to appear nonchalant, but it didn't take a genius to see the anxiety in his eyes. "I have no idea what it is. I can't even think of a virus that affects fleshies...it must have been one that was just developed."  
  
"I'm...so flattered..."  
  
Xelloss flashed a brilliant grin. "You should be." The grin faded. "I have to get in you."  
  
"I'm really not in the mood right now..." the hunter countered warily.  
  
"I know, but it has to be done." Xelloss flexed the claws, adjusting the settings carefully as he cracked his neck. "It's gotta be done and it's gotta be fast."  
  
"Be gentle?"  
  
"Don't be picky, dammit," Xelloss muttered through gritted teeth.  
  
"Can't you at least buy me dinner first?"  
  
"What? How can you think of food...oh....shit!" Xelloss nearly face- faulted as he realized the rather tawdry joke and Zelgadis, despite his pain, couldn't hide his grin. "You're so damn sick, you know that?"  
  
"Yeah, well -" Whatever Zelgadis may have said was cut off with an agonized gasp as lines of digital code slithered across his skin, radiating out from the wounds put there by Xellass.  
  
"Shit! Sorry..." That was the only warning Zelgadis got before the metal encoding claws dug into his chest.  
  
****************  
  
It didn't take long for Lina to find the two; all she had to do was follow the sound of someone's - more than likely Zelgadis's - screams. Whatever was going on couldn't possibly be pretty. It wasn't.  
  
Stumbling to a halt, she simply stared at the sight before her. Zelgadis was indeed the source of the screams, and for good reason. Xelloss was kneeling beside him, both hands dug into the hunter's torso. An incessant rambling of expletives escaped the hacker's lips occasionally as he ripped and twisted, apparently ignoring the hunter's shrieks of protest. In fact, he would occasionally glare at the hunter exasperatedly and command him to be quiet - Lina could imagine it would be rather difficult to concentrate with all the noise.  
  
After the initial shock, Lina made her way over quickly and knelt beside them. "What can I do?"  
  
"Besides shut him up? Not much."  
  
She had to grin despite her fear, and she shook her head as she placed a hand on Zelgadis's forehead soothingly. "Well, not to be rude, but I think he's got a valid reason."  
  
"He might, but if he doesn't let me concentrate he won't be screaming much longer. He won't be breathing, either, but hey, whatever trips his -" he paused to jerk a line of viral code out of his way, then finished "- trigger."  
  
"What exactly happened here?" questioned the girl as she tried to calm the convulsing hunter.  
  
"Dammit, you'd think I was actually tearing into his real guts or something. Is he always such a wimp?" There was more muttering, then Xelloss answered, "He was approached by an earlier model, got distracted, and got his stupid ass infected with some kind of virus I've never seen. Whatever it is, it's designed to kill - which technically should be impossible - so I'm guessing that it's something to fry the nervous system. Sort of a fleshie version of a blown fuse, maybe."  
  
While her brain processed the confusing information, it left the obvious up front. What the...? "An...earlier model?"  
  
"Yeah," he responded distantly, then let out a hoot as he apparently found something good. The claws dug in again, this time embedding themselves deep into his chest cavity behind the imaginary sternum and drawing a fresh barrage of protests from Zelgadis. "Oh, stop whining! Shit!"  
  
As the hacker's eyes closed in concentration Lina figured this was a bad time for questioning, but the information was definitely filed away for later questioning. Turning her attention back to the shuddering hunter in her arms, she did her best to comfort him. Hands smoothed through the strange silver locks and over the stone-like protrusions around his eyes. "Shh...c'mon, it's not that bad, right? It's not even your real body. And look, he'll be done soon, I'm sure."  
  
Between heaving gasps for air, Zelgadis managed to whisper, "Fuck you, Lina. I've already...signed you up...for the next d-digging session."  
  
"Oh?" She grinned as she looked back at the deeply focused hacker at work, digging through Zelgadis's abdomen, then back to the pain-contorted face. "Looks like fun to me. Can't wait. Of course, you know I'm never gonna leave you alone about how much of a baby you're being."  
  
"B-Baby?!" He chuckled a bit and immediately regretted it as another jolt of pain raced through him.  
  
Lina's next snide remark was cut off by a bout of snickering from the hacker, and he gave her the thumbs up. "This wasn't so bad, y'know."  
  
"'Wasn't so bad?!'"  
  
Xelloss patted the hunter's shoulder. "Well, it wasn't so bad for me. I guess they didn't expect me to be here. I mean, really, any moron could have figured that out, once they know where to look."  
  
"And did you know where to look?" Lina countered dryly.  
  
"We-ell...admittedly, no, but after a tiny bit of searching -"  
  
Zelgadis cut in breathlessly with, "You mean 'digging unabashedly through my torso,' right?"  
  
"Let's not be picky about the small things, shall we?" Xelloss pouted as he finished weaving the repairs, programming the 'wound' in the hunter's stomach closed. "Anyway, let's get him out of here. We need to check his corporeal to make sure there's no permanent brain damage."  
  
"You mean," Lina grinned, "any more than usual, right?"  
  
Zelgadis frowned, and Xelloss laughed. "Hey, she said it, not me. I wasn't going to say anything."  
  
"Sure you weren't."  
  
******************  
  
Two days had passed since the incident in the circumference, and despite Xelloss's desperate desire to return to his 'home,' as he referred to it, the hacker hadn't left Zelgadis's side. This, of course, didn't go unnoticed by the others who teased Zelgadis mercilessly to the point that Xelloss threatened to infect every food dispenser in the academy with a virus causing them to produce nothing but Hamdingers. Threaten life and limb, but don't threaten the food supply; the teasing immediately ceased.  
  
On the third day, Zelgadis was preparing to return to work. He was currently heading towards the commissary for breakfast when he was approached by the young guardian-in-training, Amelia. Shyly, she reached out to tap his shoulder.  
  
The hunter regarded her thoughtfully, then nodded a hello. It wasn't her fault, after all; the girl wasn't evil or cruel. She was actually very nice...and very innocent. "Morning, Amelia."  
  
"G...good morning, Mister Zelgadis."  
  
"You coming to breakfast with me and the others?"  
  
She looked stunned at the invitation. She hadn't been seen around the others since the attack, and she wasn't sure she was ready to face them. An invitation was an invitation, however, and she nodded in relief. "I'd really appreciate that, Mister Zelgadis."  
  
"No problem...come on." He put an arm around her shoulder to lead her in, and ruffled her hair amiably. "And since when did you call me 'Mister,' huh?"  
  
"Eh...sorry, Zel," she giggled as she headed in.  
  
They weaved through the tables together, ignoring the looks from the other assembled students and workers. The strange quartet had been the source of much debate lately; it was thought they were possibly up to something illegal. Problem was, nobody knew what that could be, an they weren't about to question openly the most prestigious group in the company and academy.  
  
Joining the others at the table, who were already fighting over the plentiful food supply for some inexplicable reason, Zelgadis yawned and started adding the usual copious amount of sugar to his coffee. Lina's voice brought him out of his reverie.  
  
"So...you gonna want some coffee with that sugar there?"  
  
"Huh?" He blinked up at her dazedly, then looked down at his cup which was overflowing onto the table thanks to the massive amount of sugar that had been dumped in. Muttering a curse, he grabbed a napkin to clean up the mess.  
  
"You've been totally in outer space since that last...uh...trip you took," Lina finished lamely, remember others being present. "You sure you're alright?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit bothered by something, is all."  
  
"And that is?"  
  
Zelgadis seemed to think a minute, then shook his head. "Can't talk about it now. I still have to think it over. It's big, though. Possibly bad."  
  
"Well, so long as it isn't hairy and named 'Cecil," it can't be that bad." Lina laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. "That was what we humans call a 'joke.' Normally, we laugh. You should try it sometime."  
  
"I'm afraid it'll hurt me," he grinned back and prodded her shoulder.  
  
"What, you don't wanna be screaming like a little girl again?" Lina snickered and elbowed him. She really wasn't kidding when she said she wasn't going to let him live that down.  
  
"I'm so wounded!" he gasped, clutching his heart dramatically, then he thumped her forehead and stood. "Bah, breakfast is for the weak. I need to get going."  
  
"Hey, more for me," Lina jumped at the opportunity to grab his untouched plate, and as the girl and the guard started fighting over it, Zelgadis chuckled and stood.  
  
"Later, girl," he smiled, patting Amelia on the head. The girl blushed and smiled back as he left.  
  
******************  
  
Bored. Bored bored bored. Xelloss tapped at the console idly as the lines of code slipped past. Zelgadis had asked him to run through this program and it had been done for hours now; he was actually just accessing the restricted files to amuse himself. Having finally lost interest in the codes that would have made any other hackers leap for joy, he leaned forward to switch off the screen when he felt hands on his shoulders. Freezing, he swallowed hard. "Just finishing up, s'all."  
  
"Really?"  
  
Xelloss nodded, then jerked startledly as he felt lips on his shoulder. He shivered, then relaxed just a bit as he leaned back against the warm body behind him tentatively. "Want the report?"  
  
"Later," came the whispered reply as the lips continued up, grazing across the cold skin where the shoulders swept to the graceful column of the hacker's neck. The hands moved down and around, encircling the slim waist, but still Xelloss didn't - couldn't - move. Sensing the discomfort of the hybrid, Zelgadis shifted slightly, starting to pull away.  
  
Amethyst eyes slid closed finally and he squirmed in the hunter's arms, nuzzling against him. "Don't go, please," he whispered.  
  
Zelgadis simply nodded, arms tightening around the hacker once more as his lips continued to feather kisses across the milky skin. "I do have to get to work, though."  
  
Xelloss pouted, then tilted his head. "Why don't I go with you? We could finish it in record time; I'd even let you have the credit."  
  
"You just want to get back to the circumference, you selfish prat," Zelgadis chirped, then nudged the now-sulking hybrid lightly. "Alright, alright. Let's go."  
  
"Yeah!" Xelloss jumped up and grabbed the hunter's wrist, all but dragging him along to the out-of-commission medilab he had commandeered. Hopping into the chair, he pulled out the set of hookups that Lina had designed for him and connected them to the circumference interfaces he'd patched in. "Right. Can you do this for me? It's utter hell trying to do it myself. Sort of like chicks trying to put on earrings without a mirror...I still can't see how they manage it." As he rambled, he handed the plugs to Zelgadis.  
  
The hunter looked at the long, dagger-like objects skeptically, then shook his head. "You sure this doesn't hurt?"  
  
"Nah. No nerves in there to feel it with," Xelloss shrugged as he tapped his temple and the thin fiber-optic projectors slid out of the corners of his eyes. Taking two of the plugs, he slid them into his ankles, then one into each wrist before leaning forward and pulling his hair over his shoulder to expose the plug in the back of his neck.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Zelgadis pulled up the back of the hacker's shirt and gingerly slid the spike into the plug at the small of his back before moving to the one in his neck. Smiling slightly to himself, he leaned forward to kiss the cold skin just above the port lightly. "Sweet dreams, beautiful." Xelloss sputtered and started to reply, but was cut off as Zelgadis pushed in the last connection, sending the hacker off to the circumference.  
  
He watched the unconscious body before him for a while before leaning over to brush a soft kiss against his lips, then he turned and headed to his own office, locking the door to the medilab behind him.  
  
*****************  
  
"We have a connection, sir."  
  
"Location confirmation?"  
  
"In two minutes, sir."  
  
"Very good. Organize a raid team at once."  
  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
  
Super-duper-whammy-omega-thanks to all the pretty people who responded to this! (especially EmeraldStar! I luff yew!) Er...tons of apologies to those on the the Xel/Zel Yaoi Mailing List waiting for me to post. I'm telling ya....I thought America was going to be my vacation, but I was more relaxed at work in Japan! O.o But I promise, "What Secrets We Bring" is coming to a conclusion; the finish should be up in two or three days. I'm *almost* finished with the end of CyberSins, and yes, yes, I *will* post the reeeeeally long lemon all you've been requesting. Pervs! :P 


	4. Chapter 4 The Company

CyberSins, Chapter 4  
  
"That certainly is an interesting...er...outfit you've got on." Zelgadis glanced back at the hacker at work, clad in the skintight, ridged bodysuit he'd only managed to get a glance at before Xellass had infected him with that virus. He thought it looked mighty good on the hacker. In fact, he could barely take his eyes off the amethyst-haired man as he worked.  
  
Xelloss never looked up from the translucent panel in front of him, but a smirk crossed the fair face. "You think so?"  
  
"Most definitely."  
  
"Hm," was the hacker's only reply as he continued to work, fingers racing across the keyboard so fast they were almost invisible. "Say, is this really your job? I mean, you do this all the time, all day long?"  
  
Shrugging, Zelgadis looked back down at his own panel. "Pretty much, yeah. Occasionally I'm assigned to arrest hackers, but they're getting few and far between. Most of the really pitiful ones are assigned to lower-ranking hunters."  
  
"Sounds terribly boring."  
  
"It is."  
  
"Horribly so."  
  
"You have no idea."  
  
There was a moment of silence, then they both burst out laughing.  
  
"We must be two of the stupidest creatures in the circumference."  
  
"Must be," Zelgadis nodded, pushing his terminal interface aside. Drifting over to where the grinning hacker was still working, he pressed into the cold frame from behind, arms curling around the faintly squirming waist.  
  
"I thought...we were supposed to be working..." Xelloss muttered distractedly as he tried to remain focused on his task even with the hunter's warm hands rubbing across his stomach and inevitably downwards.  
  
"I *am* working, in case you haven't noticed," came the sinful reply, whispered into the shell of Xelloss's ear.  
  
Xelloss sputtered, "I didn't...mean...this kind of work, you perv! You know what I mea...n...t..." His words cut off into a little gurgled whimper as the hacker's hands delved between his thighs and he wriggled uselessly, halfheartedly as surprisingly light fingers grazed across the tightened bulge in the bodysuit.  
  
"No, I don't know what you mean. But I definitely know what I -" he gave the pulsing bulge a squeeze, grinning in satisfaction as the hacker gasped and shuddered in his arms, hips bucking involuntarily against his hand, "mean. Do *you* know what I mean?"  
  
Xelloss, his brain and vocal chords not on speaking terms at the moment, could only mumble and purr unintelligibly through the delicious torture, his own hands dropping from the forgotten terminal in front of him. Jaw slack and eyes closed, his hands grasped the hunter's wrists tightly between trembling fingers as he bucked against the next squeeze helplessly. "This...i-isn't real...you kn-know...."  
  
Still stroking idly, he moved forward to grind his hips against Xelloss's, the obvious erection pressing firmly into the hacker's back eliciting a whimper of desire. "Can you feel this, beautiful?" He smiled as Xelloss nodded shakily. "Does it feel real enough to you?" Another shaky nod. "Thought so."  
  
Turning the shivering hybrid around, Zelgadis pressed in for a light nuzzle. Xelloss's lips were always so cold, but they were still the most luscious thing he'd ever tasted. Icy flesh trembled at first before suddenly delving into a startlingly insistent kiss accompanied by a mewl of restrained desire. Nothing in this world could be so perfect, so cherished, as the bond the two shared in this moment. Trembling arms tangled around each other and wound the toned bodies together in a desperate embrace, pressing chest to pounding chest, stomach to fluttering stomach, sex to aching sex.  
  
Zelgadis's hips pushed in a steady grind against his lover eliciting a delicious moan, the sound so intensely erotic coming from the hacker's synthesized voice that the hunter had to pull from the kiss and nuzzle into the sweep of the cold throat with a frantic bite to keep from climaxing right then. He'd dreamed of holding the nymph-like creature in his arms for weeks now; this moment was like an eternity of delusions coming together all at once. Searing hands roamed the smooth planes of Xelloss's back and sides and the hybrid's body arched in reaction, eyes closed in delicious torment as his teeth clenched together, his own frosty touch gliding across the hunter's face and throat to leave chillbumps in its wake.  
  
"Technically," Xelloss smiled with a breathy whisper, "this isn't a regulation use for circumference access, you know."  
  
Pressing in with a painfully hungry kiss, the hunter growled against cool lips, "Technically, I don't give a flying shit."  
  
*********************  
  
"Yes, sir? How may I help you?" Sitting neatly behind her desk, the receptionist regarded the suited man in front of her as politely as possible while trying to ignore the suspicious-looking individuals accompanying him.  
  
He was tall, unusually so, and while red spikes fell jaggedly around his face the rest of the fiery mane was tied back in a tight ponytail at the nape of his neck, flowing in time with each step he took. The suit was tailored, black and gray, and obviously very expensive. His 'associates' were equally strange, one of which had sea-foam green hair that bobbed off at shoulder length. His eyes were a strangely yellowish color and had a strange shape, much like those of his red-headed superior. The other was a boy no more than eight, with plum-purple hair and a cruel grin that simply didn't fit onto the innocent face. He reminded her of an altered photograph - it looked real enough, but there just seemed to be something that stood out as eerily wrong. Both of them wore long coats, but when they moved the same uniform (if it could be called that) - black PVC pants with a matching cropped shirt beneath which a layer of fishnet covered any exposed skin - could be seen beneath the cloak-like external wear.  
  
"I'm looking for a Mister..." he paused in thought as he removed his black leather wallet, "Ah, yes, a Mister Zelgadis. I am Regulator Gaav, from Promenade Enterprises, here on official business." Opening the wallet, he flashed a badge to her before tucking it away once more.  
  
"I see, sir. One moment, please." The receptionist tapped away at the keyboard, occasionally glancing up at the other two. She noticed how often they looked at her and the glare in their eyes wasn't comforting - it was something between disgust and hunger, like some kind of starving animal that couldn't decide between eating or tormenting its prey. "Uhm... Mister Zelgadis is currently working in the circumference. I'm afraid it is strictly against regulations to allow anyone except Guardians and Hunters into the connection rooms while anyone is in the circumference, but I would be happy to have someone direct you to a waiting area until he logs off."  
  
Two pairs of eyes settled on her and narrowed, and the green-haired one spoke up before the boy could. "Who do you think you are, bitch? 'Wait in a lobby, please.' Do we fuckin' look like 'wait in the lobby' types? I'll have your fuckin' fleshie guts-"  
  
"Valgarv, let us not be impolite to the lady," Gaav spared the irate man a glance. "She is only doing her job." His gaze returned to the shocked receptionist with a courteous - and entirely fake - smile. "And a very good job you are doing, as well. Regulations are regulations, are they not? We cannot have people breaking them on whim, indeed. Please, a waiting area would be good enough."  
  
Nodding shakily, she typed in a message and sent it away. Muttering timidly that a representative was on her way, she sighed with relief as the new girl came. Thank god it was off her hands now.  
  
Camille, as the badge read, couldn't help but pause as she caught sight of the three she was to escort. Nevertheless, duty and training won over curiosity and she approached them with a polite curtsey. "This way if you please, sirs."  
  
***********************  
  
Camille, as it turned out, wasn't very much fun. In the appointed waiting room, Valgarv sat cross-legged on the floor next to the young Phibrizzio, both of them staring disappointedly at the broken remains.  
  
"She didn't last very long, did she?" the young one yawned, poking at the glassy eye that stared into space, lost in death.  
  
Shrugging, Valgarv ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't think she would. How many times have I told you, Phi-Phi; 'they need those things.' If you take it out, of course they'll die quick." He waved the messily-extracted left lung in the boy's face.  
  
"Well I didn't mean to! It just got in the way!" Phibrizzio pouted sullenly, then glared at the green-haired man. "And don't call me 'Phi- Phi.' Do I look like some retarded poodle to you?"  
  
"Of course not," Valgarv shook his head. "You just act like one occasionally."  
  
Phibrizzio stood, throwing down the severed arm he'd been playing with, and opened his mouth to release a long, volatile string of curses - but was stopped by returned Gaav who patted him on the head as he closed the door behind him once more. "Now now, you two. No fighting. You've had your fun and it's time to get to work. Valgarv, use the terminal to find out what room our 'comrades' are in and seal them off. Phibrizzio, I need you to get prepped for a connection to secure them in the circumference until the rip is complete."  
  
The two nodded and separated, but not before childishly sticking their tongues out and making faces at each other. Sitting in front of the terminal, Valgarv extracted a set of plugs from his pocket and shrugged off the coat, exposing the sockets in his back. Hooking himself up, he ripped the keyboard from the wall and instead plugged the specially-designed plug into the port, inputting himself into the computer's interface.  
  
His eyes glazed over for a moment, and his brow furrowed as his hands moved across invisible controls, then he sat up and nodded to Gaav, vision returning to normal. "Got 'em. One's on sub-level four, old medilab closed for storage, number three-eight-nine. Other's in your standard connection room in sub-level two. Room one-oh-three."  
  
"Very good. Let's go, then." Looking thoughtfully at the bloody mess on the floor, he sighed. "I swear, I can't leave you two alone for five minutes."  
  
Still frowning, Phibrizzio fiddled with the adjustments to the plug in his right wrist. "Screw that. She didn't even last for three minutes."  
  
***********************  
  
"Aren't they done yet?!" Lina whined as she glared at the textbook in front of her as though it had personally offended her. She really needed Xelloss's help with this stupid concept of integral factual amalgamation programming, and he'd been off in his little hidey-hole with the door locked, apparently connected and goofing off. Worthless!  
  
Shrugging, Amelia looked up from her pile of books. "Well, he said he was going to help Zel with his work, so it shouldn't be too much longer. Wanna go and see if they're done yet?"  
  
"Yeah, c'mon. I'm not waiting here for him forever." Standing and stretching, she grabbed the dozing Gourry by a fistful of blonde hair and jerked him awake, all but dragging him out the door.  
  
The trio proceeded down the hall and to the lift, getting off at Zelgadis's current floor. After heading down the hall a bit, Lina motioned for them to stop - someone was ahead of them. They exchanged glances, then listened carefully.  
  
"Valgarv, the doors please."  
  
"Gotcha." The sounds of ripping metal were heard, then the unmistakable *ka-click* of equipment being hooked up. A few seconds later, the door was heard to slide open.  
  
"Very good. Phibrizzio, get connected and locate them. Valgarv will seal the doors behind you. Whatever happens, do not let them return until the appointed time. I'm going down to Xelloss's medilab, Valgarv, you head to Zelgadis's room. Disconnect in two minutes."  
  
Two voices, "Right."  
  
Footsteps receding.  
  
Lina looked at Amelia. Amelia looked at Gourry. Gourry looked confused.  
  
"Holy Christ!" Amelia exclaimed, her voice a terrified, whispered shriek. "They're going to kill them! Oh god...oh god, this is all my fault..."  
  
"Yeah, it is, but that's not the problem right now. Gourry, head down to Xelloss's room and head that guy off. Amelia, come with me and let's see if we can stop the other guy from getting to Zelgadis. Amelia?" Lina blinked and looked around, just in time to see the dark-haired girl disappear around the corner. "Dammit! Ah, hell, go Gourry!"  
  
The security guard nodded, face set in the grim lines of determination, and the two set off in different directions.  
  
************************  
  
Amelia skidded around the doorframe and stumbled into the room only seconds after the doors closed, locking with a sharp *clink* of finality. She looked around in the darkness and saw a small figure climbing up into the chair. He was no more than a boy!  
  
Rushing over, she grabbed onto his wrist and tugged him back sharply. "This is a restricted area. I'm afraid you're going to have to come with me."  
  
The boy looked back at her, tousled plum hair covering most of his features. Eyes wide with shock, he tried to pull his hand free. "Please, let go! I have to do this!"  
  
"You're trying to hurt my friends and I won't let you!" Another sharp jerk, and the two of them fell off the chair, tumbling into a tangle of limbs on the floor.  
  
"L-Let go of me!" Struggling to pull free with all his meager strength, Phibrizzio looked to be on the verge of terrified hysterics. "They'll disassemble me if I don't do this right! I don't want to die!"  
  
"Disassemble?" Amelia looked at him, her expression changing from anger to shock, then to the sudden realization as she noticed how cold his skin was. "You're...you're a hacker! A hybrid!" She noticed the fear in the boy's eyes as she recognized him for what he was and she smiled comfortingly. "Hey, it's okay, okay? Don't worry. You're safe here, and no one's going to hurt you, but you can't hurt my friends, okay? You don't have to...to...don't have..."  
  
Her words trailed off into a traumatized whimper as her next breath caught with a painful hitch that caused her to double over in pain. She looked down at her torso, at the slender hand that was imbedded into her stomach, and followed the arm up to the shoulder and finally the face of the boy. There was no trace of the former fear; the only thing shining in his eyes now was the sadistic glee reflected in that cruel grin curling his lips.  
  
"Of course I don't have to, silly fleshie. I *want* to." His hand twisted, drying an agonized cry from the girl and she tried in vain to wrench free but found herself unable to do so as a hand closed around her throat. "Now what was it that Val said I shouldn't take out? Oh...yeah...now where is it...?"  
  
Amelia tried to scream again, she truly did. The hand constricting her throat was unimaginably strong, and the pain radiating through her body was unbearable, but she tried so valiantly to free herself of his grip as the deceptively-small hand pushed roughly through her stomach, moving up and snapping ribs as it went.  
  
"Ah yes...here it is!"  
  
This time a scream finally found its way from her lips. It was, however, extremely short.  
  
*************************  
  
Lina froze. It was distant, muffled, but it was very obviously a scream and very obviously Amelia. Looking back over her shoulder, she scanned the numerous doors that lined the hall - there was no telling which one she was behind, and finding it would take forever. A tremble shivered through her, but she swallowed it and forced herself to face front once more, resuming her flight through the corridors towards Zelgadis's connecting room.  
  
**************************  
  
It was so quiet, the flapping of a butterfly's wings would have deafened. So silent, so peaceful. Zelgadis looked down at the hacker cradled in his arms and pushed back a lock of the purple silken hair lightly, so as not to awaken his sleeping lover. Truly, he hadn't known it was possible to sleep in the circumference, but it was obvious that Xelloss's projection was far more tuned to his corporeal body than that of an ordinary human. Smiling to himself, he leaned down to kiss the smooth forehead softly and sighed. Nothing bothered them here; nothing went wrong. The circumference was their kingdom in the sky.  
  
Gently disentangling from the hybrid, Zelgadis drifted away and over towards the edge of the blackness surrounding them. Leaning over the edge, he looked down into the abyss of hazel light beneath them, head tilted contemplatively. A loud slam presently drew his attention back to Xelloss.  
  
The hacker was wide awake, and surrounded by a glass pyramid. Above him hovered a child-like apparition with matching pale skin. This apparition did not appear to be very happy, and his attention was focused on the hunter.  
  
"Oh, hell! You weren't supposed to move!" He glared at Zelgadis, then to the now awake and irate Xelloss who was slamming against the barrier surrounding him. "Oh, knock it off, you moron! Christ...this sucks. Now what? I can't make two cages..."  
  
"What the hell are you doing?! Let go of him!" Zelgadis lunged for the child, but missed by far as Phibrizzio swept aside impossibly fast.  
  
"Not a chance, pal." The hunter was seething, but the boy-hybrid was impassively calm. Internally, he was counting, and the disconnect should happen in five...four...three... A grin slipped across his lips. "Say, didn't you have friend? A little girl with black hair?"  
  
Zelgadis stopped, shocked. "Yeah, I do." The next words didn't come out as planned - his mouth worked in silence as the monster's words seeped through. "'Did'...?"  
  
"Yeaaahhh...did. As in, 'past tense,'" he snickered, shrugging. "She screamed quite delightfully. It's too bad I didn't get to play with her longer...would've been fun, huh?"  
  
"You fucker! I'll kill you!" Seething with rage, he lunged at the boy once more, with the same effect. Overcome with fear and fury, he didn't even feel the tingle at the base of his spine as Valgarv unplugged his body. As the last plug slid out, though, he felt it. His mouth opened in a silent scream as his projection shuddered and convulsed, much to Phibrizzio's amusement.  
  
"Oh, this is the best part! Isn't that so, dear brother?" He smiled to the still-trapped Xelloss who didn't hear him. Indeed, the amethyst-haired hacker felt nothing but pain as he was unplugged as well. Chuckling, Phibrizzio snapped his fingers and the glass pyramid disintegrated to dust, leaving Xelloss to collapse to the ground with pained yelp. "Well...I see my work here is done." Kneeling next to the seizing hybrid, Phibrizzio patted his head. You have another..." He paused in thought, then grinned, "...another 15 minutes until it's over. I'd like to stay and play, but I was promised that I could dissect your hunter friend, and it's no fun once the rip's over and the heart isn't beating. Nothing twitches! Bye-bye!" He gave Xelloss a farewell kick, then vanished and reconnected with his body.  
  
The initial pain of the unplugging had passed, and the two finally sat up, breathing heavily. Looking up at each other, they swallowed hard in unison and both spoke at the same time.  
  
"I can't-"  
  
"We're not-"  
  
Silence.  
  
Both of them trembled, then rushed together, clinging to each other in sheer desperation. This was it.  
  
************************  
  
"Hm. Not that bad looking. Tough shit, really." Valgarv idly traced the lines of the metal in Zelgadis's face, sitting comfortably astride the unconscious hunter's lap. "Don't usually see fleshies this nice. I think maybe, just maybe, I-" Cut off, he found himself suddenly on the floor as the broom handle connected squarely with the side of his head. Groaning, he sat up and looked around, a dazed expression on his face. "The fuck...?"  
  
Lina swung again, and again, managing three heavy blows to the hybrid's skull before he finally wised up and grabbed the broom from her. She held on stubbornly, trying to pull free, and only succeeded in helping Valgarv stand. Panting for breath, she screamed and drove forward, connecting the broom handle with his stomach and stealing his breath away. As he sunk to the floor, gasping for air, she swung the handle around one more time, this time breaking it against the back of the creature's skull and sending him off to dreamland.  
  
Throwing the shattered weapon aside, she scrambled up the chair and started reconnect Zelgadis to the circumference, plugging in the sensors and hooking up the monitors.  
  
**********************  
  
Zelgadis looked up, meeting Xelloss's purple spheres. "I'm being hooked back up."  
  
Xelloss blinked, then sighed with relief. The hunter looked at him expectedly, and finally the hacker shrugged. "I...I'm not. Maybe the others found you?"  
  
"Then they'll find you, too. You still have six minutes, don't worry. I'm going back, and I'll make sure it's alright, okay?"  
  
Xelloss nodded.  
  
"It's going to be okay, alright?"  
  
Nod.  
  
"You don't believe me?"  
  
Xelloss pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "Of course I do."  
  
"Liar."  
  
"Let's not start that again, okay? Just get out of here."  
  
"I'm coming back, love. I swear. Hang on."  
  
Another kiss was shared, then Zelgadis logged off, leaving Xelloss alone. The hacker sat still, dejectedly, then summoned up a control panel and started tapping. 


End file.
